New IT Infrastructure to Raise the Bar in Delivering Customer Service while bringing Enhanced Productivity, Security and Energy Savings

AMMAN, Jordan, July 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Jordan Ahli Bank, a leading Jordanian financial institution, has chosen IBM (NYSE: IBM) to transform its core banking systems in a major program of modernization and business expansion. IBM will provide hardware, software business consultants, and IT services that will set new standards in customer service by enabling the bank to extend smarter products and services, enhance client satisfaction with improved time to market services, increase its banking application performance and cut on its energy consumption costs.

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Jordan Ahli Bank was established in 1955 and currently has more than 50 branches across Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Cyprus. Last year, the bank began a full-scale business transformation program, named "DNA". The DNA program involves restructuring the bank's organizational structure, operational model and technology to help it provide enhanced customer service and gear up for future growth.

CEOs and C-Suite leaders around the world are reassessing how to serve their customers not as a mass audience, but as individuals with personalized needs. As part of its broader strategy, Jordan Ahli bank is making a major investment to transform its entire front office ? every system, process and person that interacts with the customer ? to better anticipate, respond to and capitalize on future events quickly and ahead of the competition.

The bank turned to IBM to provide a universal banking platform including smarter banking applications from Temenos using IBM's service-oriented architecture (SOA) platform and smarter computing hardware infrastructure. IBM is delivering the services in collaboration with its business partners Jordan Business Systems and Professionals for Smart Technology (PST).

"Jordan Ahli Bank's transformation into a smarter bank will allow us to drive greater levels of customer service, flexibility and efficiency," said Samer Abu Zayed, Deputy CEO, Head of Group Information Technology & Enterprise Programs at Jordan Ahli Bank. "This is one step further towards achieving our DNA Program transformation journey which will help us meet the rising customer demand for new products and easy digital access to services."

Jordan Ahli Bank will use IBM WebSphere software and business consulting services to build the service-oriented architecture foundation platform to integrate its applications to quickly aggregate critical data generated by separate systems. The SOA platform will also include IBM's Business Process Management (BPM) software and services which will allow the bank to automate and integrate business processes to increase efficiencies and achieve business agility and IT governance and standardization. The bank will use IBM Rational Enterprise Architecture solution to govern the IT-Business alignment using a standard operating model.

"IBM is working closely with banks to implement smarter systems that allow them to become increasingly agile while continuing to offer innovative services to customers in order to gain a competitive edge in the market," said Amr Refaat, General Manager, IBM Middle East and Pakistan. "Those who create innovative solutions that learn from and improve on the experience of individual customers will deepen customer relationships and ultimately create new pathways for revenue growth."

"The SOA will allow existing and new applications to easily 'talk' to each other through IBM integration middleware," said Alaaeddin Ahmad, Enterprise Architecture Manager, Jordan Ahli Bank, "This standards-based approach enables Jordan Ahli Bank to reuse existing business services, hence shortening the application development time required to bring the new banking product or service to market. As a result, the bank will be able to reduce the development time from up to three months to down to a few weeks, facilitating a dramatic improvement in responsiveness to client demands."

About Jordan Ahli Bank:

Jordan Ahli Bank (previously Jordan National Bank) is a leading Jordanian institution, with a steeped national history and heritage.

Background:

Jordan Ahli Bank was established in 1955.

Ahli Bank was the first national bank to be established in East Jordan.

Ahli Bank was the sixth public shareholding company to be established in the kingdom.

First founders: Yousef Mouasher, Suleiman Sukkar.

Initial capital upon establishment: JD 350,000.

Today, regional presence in Lebanon, Palestine, Cyprus.

For 50 years, the bank has been a leading player in the financial services industry in Jordan and beyond.

About IBM:

For more information about IBM solutions for Banking, please visit: http://ibm.com/banking

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